Colorado-based figure skating duo win Olympic gold medals after surgeries, concussion

A Colorado Springs-based figure skating duo recently overcame surgeries, a concussion, and other struggles to bring home gold medals for Team USA in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy this week.

Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea won their medals in the “pairs free skate” event on Sunday. It was in mid-January that they secured their places among 16 skaters representing the United States at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games.

The pair spoke to CBS News on Monday after multiple reports of Olympic medals breaking.

“We’re just trying not to do too much of the jumping around ourselves,” O’Shea said.

Kam said her gold medal was, “definitely like a heavy weight to carry, but I slept with mine under my pillow, so that’s how I’m keeping mine safe.”

Asked if he could describe the feeling of being an Olympic champion, Shea said, “no, I don’t think I could describe it,” prompting his teammate to laugh.

“It’s one of those things where it’s been a dream we’ve been going after for decades now,” the 34-year-old continued.

Kam, 21, said it, “felt like one of those magical moments where they say, ‘oh, that’s like your Olympic moment.’ It felt like things kind of came together for us, and it felt like it was the right amount of energy and the right amount of trust and the right amount of patience.”

In addition to winning the golds, the team achieved personal bests, earning 135.36 points after skating in the short program, free skating, and exhibition events.

The two teamed up in 2022 and both began skating when they were 4 years old. Kam previously skated with Ian Meyh, and O’Shea previously skated with Chelsea Liu, as well as Tarah Kayne, with whom he was the 2016 U.S. champion and 2018 Four Continents champion.

O’Shea previously skated on a broken foot at a qualifying event, where he secured the U.S. a historic, additional Olympic spot. Experts said at the time that it was an opportunity the team hadn’t had in decades.

He was questionable for his return to skating in time for the Olympics due to an injury he sustained during training in 2025. Since then, he has undergone surgery and recovered.

Kam also experienced what she called “one of the worst concussions of my career,” but went on to say, “we found our groove and skated some of our best performances yet” after last month’s qualifying event.

“Ellie’s concussion required patience and trust, especially because recovery isn’t always linear or visible,” O’Shea said at the time.